Advice on what to with decent running but tatty old Zed

[Blue Straggler]

Hello all, long time lurker and only occasional poster here. 

 

I'll keep it short, I got my first Zed in Feb 2016 assuming I would keep it for 8 months and then get something more sensible. Didn't happen, as it's easily the best car I've ever had. 
However I am NOT an "enthusiast" and although I've kept her well looked after mechanically (most work done at Cougar Store Leicester) I am ashamed to say I've let the cosmetics rot somewhat, to the point where IF I were to sell her on, I'd probably get so little for her, that it would be a bit pointless and saddening. 
She's a March 04 with 110k miles on the clock and is my only car, therefore my everyday car. She's always been running fine, just standard wear and tear parts. 
After a lot of pondering over the last 18 months about selling on, I think the best thing for me is to keep her until she dies. 
At the age and value that she is, and considering what I spent last summer fixing up various undercarriage potential issues, I am not keen to spend serious money on the cosmetics and (heresy!) will let her rot. There's probably another year or two in her easily. 

Part of me has been saying "sell to someone who likes to tinker with bodywork or someone who will have her as a track car" but again, it doesn't seem worth the bother. 

Rough description - extensive tinworm on rear arches, various age-related scuffs and scrapes on paintwork, blistering paintwork under rear registration plate, leather wear on driver seat. I am not convinced that at some point in history, she didn't have a cheap total respray done. There is a section of front bumper that is not well matched (nominally azure blue)

HOWEVER what is interesting, and this is what my post is really about, and why I wouldn't be keen to sell the car AS A WHOLE, is this:


I have Nismo LGMT 19" alloys and have been pondering selling or doing part-ex of those, for more "mundane" wheels. The Nismos belong on a better maintained car and I've had my four years of enjoying her looking a bit "special". The intention is that this would squeeze a bit of money out of the car, but thinking about it last night, I wondered if THAT is even worth it. 

Doing a bit of maths - the wheels are all in need of a refurb, call that £70 each to bring them to "looking nice and newish", and add a bit for VAT or something. Call it £320. Then they will be sold as refurbed Nismo. I know they are sought after but what would I realistically get for them? Then I need to put some replacement wheels and tyres on, so that will cost too. Say I don't refurb pre-sale, probably makes no difference to me as I'd have to sell at a lower price as "needing refurb". Am I going to end up going through a lot of effort to just end up making say £100?!

Another interesting bit is that she has a registration plate that should be worth several hundreds of pounds (ends in ZED) and again I am now ready to part with that and put the mundane old one on, but no idea how to reliably get a plate valued!


Over to you, forum members, what would YOU do?

(if it helps, the novelty of feeling every single piece of gravel through my low profile wheels has worn off a bit, and I've never cornered in a way that benefits from them, I drive this car the same as if I were driving a Ford Focus )

Edited July 26, 2020 by Blue Straggler
added detail about paint work; corrected Apple's "autocorrect" from "reformed" to "refurbed"

[LRF4N]

It all depends on your situation. There’s a market for a cheaper zed for tinkering/restoration, track and drift toys

 

Or if it is worth the extra time/effort/cash for you to keep it til it goes bang then go for it

 

110k miles is nothing for a zed if well maintained. What exactly needs done other than the wheels and bodywork?

Edited May 31, 2020 by LRF4N

[G1en]

For the wheels, i would guess if you swapped them with someone for standard wheels and tyres or even the rays you could easily ask for £100-£150 per wheel your way so an extra £500 or so provided the condition of the wheels/tyres is of a similar ilk. As you say the lgmt’s are a very exclusive sought after wheel so even in need of a refurb they have a good value, if you plan on running the car moving forwards you might be as well sell them and let someone else enjoy them and refurb them to their requirements. 
if your thinking of selling the car, stick it on ebay with a reserve price, like you say, there may be plenty of punters that will want a “project” car for varying reasons. Ie if the rear arches are rusted, they may plan on cutting them out anyway for a wide body kit. Just be as honest as possible with the description and set the reserve to what your comfortable with. 
if you decide to keep it, and this is a left field suggestion, near to me (you would have to research colleges near you) there is a college that runs mechanics and bodyshop type courses and apprenticeships and they are always wanting cars to work on. They usually end up with scrap/mot failures that are gifted to them but they would relish a zed to work on, obviously if its your daily that would be an issue but getting your car sorted for free could be an option further down the line?

[Jack94]

Assuming the tyres on both sets of wheels are similar brand/condition, I think if you swapped to a standard set of 18" Rays (in average condition) then £1000 your way would be fair. 

 

I've seen LMGT4s up for over £1500 and standard rays (which are still a very good wheel) for well under £500. If you do decide to sell/trade them then personally I wouldn't bother with a refurb, because the buyer may want to change the colour/finish anyway. 

 

As for the numberplate this is just a guess, but £250-£500? 

[master970]

I would just keep it mate and try patching it up and maintaining it to a certain level...Z's are very hardy and if well maintained are good for 250K+ Mine is a June 2007 HR with 42375 on the clock and it stands on a driveway in all weathers !! Mind you the carbon vinyl and various carbon fibre bits have protected it...I don't use it all that much as I have an old Toyota Corolla Sportif 1997 which seems to be lasting forever !! However good luck with whatever you choose to do...

[Blue Straggler]

Hi all, sorry, I thought I had posted to thank everyone for replies - looks like it didn't get through. 

To answer some specifics - LRF4N - aside from wheels and body rust, I have the rear sills (structural) "thinning" according to recent service. Various bits of corroded underside, I threw a fair amount of cash at this last year but am advised that the brake lines are corroding (according to a specialist; my "second opinion" local garage say they don't look like they are too much to worry about)

G1en (and thread in general) - for various reasons I am moving toward selling and replacing with something embarrassingly mundane that I dare not name. That advice to eBay it "as is" with a respectable reserve, and hope to find a buyer who wants to do something to the bodywork anyway, seems sound. 

All that said, annoyingly today I found out that it is weirdly difficult (read: disproportionately expensive) to insure a second car! Looking to run two cars for a couple of months so I am not panicked into a rush sale of the Nissan for too little money. But I can't just add it to existing policy as I am with Adrian Flux and my underwriter is a "performance car specialist" and I can't add a mundane one to the policy.....and starting a fresh totally separate one for new mundane car, means I have to start at 0 years NCB i.e. a high premium. What a drag. UK car insurance is a weird old thing alright. 

[Blue Straggler]

And another update. I really am looking at to sell, and this requirement has somewhat accelerated (basically I am adopting a dog, and getting a Citroen C3 Picasso, and I want it all to happen quickly because car shopping alone with a dog from a rescue charity, which is settling into a new home, will be awkward!)

Chatting to a dealer selling a C3 Picasso today, about trade in. Neither of us really knew what my car as a whole is worth, on trade in (where of course the dealer has to make it forecourt-presentable AND make a useful profit). He offered £2000 but also said "don't punch me"  he is of course in a different market and needs to shift things quickly, and his customers will be deterred by the wheel arches. 

I was thinking about putting it up on here as an ad, but I have not been an active enough member with only 59 posts so far, including this one. 

[ShortPaul]

Hi mate contact Midwest performance for a quick sale

[ilogikal1]

Are you on commission there or something?!? 

[ShortPaul]

No mate just trying to be helpful saw

[Rikz2004]

On 25/07/2020 at 20:40, Blue Straggler said:

And another update. I really am looking at to sell, and this requirement has somewhat accelerated (basically I am adopting a dog, and getting a Citroen C3 Picasso, and I want it all to happen quickly because car shopping alone with a dog from a rescue charity, which is settling into a new home, will be awkward!)

Chatting to a dealer selling a C3 Picasso today, about trade in. Neither of us really knew what my car as a whole is worth, on trade in (where of course the dealer has to make it forecourt-presentable AND make a useful profit). He offered £2000 but also said "don't punch me"  he is of course in a different market and needs to shift things quickly, and his customers will be deterred by the wheel arches. 

I was thinking about putting it up on here as an ad, but I have not been an active enough member with only 59 posts so far, including this one. 

If I were you I'd try to buy some 350z touring alloys (the cheaper ones, probably be able to find some for around £150ish). I'd then sell the lmgt4's on there own, and sell the car separately (on Facebook/gumtree/eBay). That will take a bit more effort but you'd obviously get more money.

[Blue Straggler]

Thanks, I'll consider this!

 

[Blue Straggler]

Thanks shortpaul, I had somehow not noticed your message! I think we are past the point of no return now, sadly the car is going in for a trade in against my thrilling Picasso C3! 

[Blue Straggler]

Thanks everyone, for input, including those who've messaged me off-forum and been super helpful. 

Where we are with this, is that I have begrudgingly accepted the £2000 trade-in. What was interesting and surprising though, was that the dealer mentioned almost in passing, that he'd actually RATHER have "normal" wheels on it, apparently gives him an easier life, with the car appearing standard. 
I wonder whether there is a chance here to (at the cost of a bit of faff and inconvenience for me) squeeze a bit of extra value out of the car, by (as suggested throughout) putting cheaper wheels on and putting the Nismos up for sale. 

I provide here a link to a picture of them (it's my own Flickr account, not some spammy thing), you can see the state of them. 
Spoke to a refurb guy today, he said a basic refurb (all silver, not referring the chrome-finish rim and centre) would be about £80 per wheel and they would not exactly be "as new", you'd still see the corrosion pitting along spokes if you are looking for it. Far more than this for the chrome. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-straggler/albums/72157715343793956

I would probably get no work done, just sell "as is" 

I can put a set of Infiniti G35 wheels on (with winter tyres and the right spacers for the fronts) for £280, sourced from a local friend who can bring them to my wheel fitter this week (he got them for an Evo but decided against using them), and I can stash the Nismos cheekily at my workplace. 

Just a case of "are these Nismos going to bring me significantly more than £280 in the state they are in?"

It seems like I should be ok to at least / "at worst" not lose out £-wise, surely? 

 

[Mikey_S]

Some standard rays for sale here for £300

You could probably sell the current wheels 'unfurbished' for around 12-1500 on fleabay. The only set I see on there currently are white and around 3k.

 

'Could' make 1100 plus out of it 

[Blue Straggler]

Thanks Mikey_S. Well it turns out that I don't have much choice unless I could very quickly get some acceptable "standard" Nissan 350Z wheels on there, whatever that ACTUALLY means (I am not sure the dealer really knows). He wasn't up for the G35s and I am under some time pressure so it's a bit of a case of "just finally get rid of the Zed". A slightly sad ending but it means I'm not dragging things out and having them always in the back of my mind, I guess. 

I did see that white set for £3500. I think he's dreaming!

[Jack94]

If the dealer will give you the same price whether the car is on standard Rays or LMGT4's it'd be a no brainer for me. 

Definitely worth covering the courier cost or taking a trip to pick up the Rays Mikey has mentioned, you'd end up with around an extra grand in your pocket. 

 

Also I'd take the private plate off and get that up for sale if you haven't already? 

[Mikey_S]

Aye, think Ian is based in Newport so just over the bridge. Not sure where you're based. 

[Rikz2004]

Looking at the condition of them in the pictures you've linked they're pretty corroded and aren't diamond cut on the lip like they should be so would probably cost £500 to put right. Assuming you could get around £1200-1300 for them once refurbed. You'd need to spend £300 for standard rays plus tyres, so you'd make around 4-500 by refurbing them properly. Sold as they are probs sell for £900 so you'd make around £600.

[Blue Straggler]

Thanks all. Ian's most recent post on that thread, July 27, says "all sold". 

A basic refurb is £320, that's not bringing them up to top standard; another £180 does not sound like much for a bigger job, I have a feeling this would end up being a growing "project" with certainly some reward in some unknown future, but a lot of effort. 

I looked into the private plate thing, again I might make £180 off it but not without effort. Might seem like easy money but there's an initial £80 fee to DVLA, and I'd have to get the old plates made up and put on, and re-register those with DVLA, and have you seen the STATE of the DVLA at the moment? Uncontactable, people are waiting months for standard stuff like V5C replacements. 

Call me apathetic/unadventurous but I decided against a £300 outlay on wheels (which seem to be sold already anyway), £80 on registration plate admin, and rushing around like a mad thing, then further outlay on refurb, to then be sitting on nice reformed Nismos, praying that someone will come and pay a lot for them but not knowing when that day will come. 

All of that stuff just doesn't, in the end, suit my temperament. It would be a distraction. I've already wound myself far too much over trying to squeeze a few £100 more out of this car. 

I am not saying anyone's advice is wrong - you are all more expert than me - it just doesn't fit in with where my head is at the moment. I want to concentrate on my new dog that I am adopting on Sunday  

Again, thanks everyone. 

[Blue Straggler]

4 hours ago, Jack94 said:

If the dealer will give you the same price whether the car is on standard Rays or LMGT4's it'd be a no brainer for me. 

 

This is what I thought on Friday but I have a feeling it's changed. Basically I've lost heart! Given that two other offers were £1800-£2000 specifically WITH the LMGT4s, I'd already dealt with that disappointment and am "over" it. Sure I am being taken for a mug like any other lazy person just wanting a simple life and a replacement car! But there are various other factors, like not having my own storage space (I was going to cheekily store the LMGT4s at my workplace, but there is talk of closing that building down and keeping me as a work from home employee....so then we are onto begging favours from friends to look after my wheels in their garage, and blah blah blah )

 

[Jack94]

So long as you're happy with whatever you decide that's the main thing. If the extra hassle isn't worth the money for you then that's fair enough. 

It's a shame your zed ownership is ending like this but good luck with your next car 

[Blue Straggler]

Thanks Jack, yes it's a shame and I am "ashamed" as I know this is such an enthusiast forum. But I have been running various "schemes" through my head, at one point plotting a handover in Carlisle and taking three trains to get home! A few wheels I saw for sale were collection only, from a long way away, and the 350Z is my sole car. Not ideal for carting four wheels, and the fuel cost would eat into the "profit"....

[mhp]

On 04/08/2020 at 00:05, Blue Straggler said:

Thanks Jack, yes it's a shame and I am "ashamed" as I know this is such an enthusiast forum. But I have been running various "schemes" through my head, at one point plotting a handover in Carlisle and taking three trains to get home! A few wheels I saw for sale were collection only, from a long way away, and the 350Z is my sole car. Not ideal for carting four wheels, and the fuel cost would eat into the "profit"....

I sent you a message about the car/wheels. If you still have it please get in touch